Tallahassee — Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer released the following statement today regarding the Department of State, Division of Elections release of final verified petition signatures:

“Today is a great day for Florida. Florida voters have shown that they will continue to stand for smaller, more efficient government and lower property taxes. By refusing to provide Hometown Democracy’s special-interest amendment the number of signatures it requires to be placed on the Florida constitution, the people of Florida prevented a scenario that would require voters to approve thousands of land-use decisions. This extreme amendment would cripple our economy, choke the state in red tape, and escalate property taxes once again--even as Governor Crist and Republican leaders have worked so hard to cut those same property taxes for Florida families and businesses.

“We applaud the Department of State’s certification of the Florida Marriage Amendment for the 2008 ballot, which illustrates the widespread support for the sanctity of marriage. We are grateful for the hard work of the Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage and the hundreds of thousands of Floridians who made their voices heard by signing this petition. The people of Florida will have the opportunity to vote on this important issue in November. I am hopeful we will see traditional marriage - between one man and one woman – defended in our state constitution.”